Lancashire Turf Wars by Steve Tongue

Author:Steve Tongue
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pitch Publishing
Published: 2018-07-14T16:00:00+00:00

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If Liverpool had a figure in the immediate post-war period to rival Matthews, Finney and Lofthouse, in local popularity at least, it was Billy Liddell. The ruggedly handsome Scot made his debut for them in 1940/41, playing for a long time as a left-winger before converting to centre-forward after the team’s poor start to the 1954/55 season.

In the Football League North campaign of 1945/46 he scored 18 times in 26 appearances on the wing, second only to centre-forward Willie Fagan. The official resumption of league football featured an abundance of goals at both ends in Liverpool games as in successive September matches there was a 7-4 win over Chelsea then a 5-0 defeat away to Manchester United.

The defence then stabilised with Bob Paisley settling at left-half after a difficult start. Manager George Kay beat Everton to the signature of Newcastle forward Albert Stubbins, who would later be immortalised on the front of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album (because John Lennon was amused by his name). He rattled in 24 goals, as did Jack Balmer, setting a record with three successive hat-tricks in November as Liverpool went top of the table.

Recovering from a 5-1 home defeat by Wolves (4-0 at half-time), and then four successive defeats over the new year, they came again in a storming finish, losing only one of the last 16 games (at Blackpool) and winning the last one away to fellow contenders Wolves. Still there was a fortnight to wait in the extended season, knowing that Stoke City could overhaul them; but the Potters lost their final match to Sheffield United, giving Liverpool the title.

It could have been the century’s first Double but in the FA Cup semi-final there was a surprise 1-0 defeat by Second Division Burnley with their iron-clad defence.

Champions or not, the Reds would lose First Division status for the first time since 1905 before challenging for another title. In defence of it in 1947/48 they dropped to 11th despite almost 50 goals from Balmer, Stubbins and Liddell, and a handsome double over Everton by 3-0 and 4-0. As attendances boomed everywhere there were almost 79,000 to see the derby at Goodison the following season, a 1-1 draw, Liverpool finishing only 12th.

In the Merseyside FA Cup semi-final of March 1950, Paisley and Liddell were the goalscorers as Liverpool won through to meet Arsenal. Paisley was then unlucky to be left out as an Arsenal team with Denis Compton playing four days before his retirement won 2-0. ‘Liverpool … were outmatched by a better all-round team,’ according to the Sunday Times reporter, who picked out a Merseysider, albeit an Arsenal player, as man of the match, ‘Joseph Mercer was the master tactician.’ The former Evertonian and future Manchester City manager still lived on the Wirral and often trained at Anfield.

George Kay had not been well and in 1951 was replaced by the Brighton manager and Charlton Athletic FA Cup-winning captain Don Welsh, who had guested with some success for Liverpool in the war.

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